Are you busy? In your home culture, is it considered “cool” to be busy? In American culture everyone is busy and it’s almost in style to be busy. We think that’s crazy! Today we are going to give our opinion on this article from the Washington Post called Exhaustion Is Not a Status Symbol. In American culture, especially in large cities like New York and Boston, things move fast and we often define ourselves based on the things that we do. We also measure our worth based on what we achieve. We end up valuing perfectionism and accomplishing things over just living. Americans don’t take much time off for vacation while in other cultures people take much more vacation time. How do we know that this is a problem? People in the US always say: * “I’ve been crazy busy.” * “I have so much going on.” What can we do about this? * Avoid checking emails every three minutes * When you complete a task, sit back and reflect, get feedback (this was a suggestion from the article) * Take more vacation time What do you think? Is being busy considered cool in your culture? Let us know in the comments. Come back to http://www.allearsenglish.com/290 to have a conversation with Lindsay and Michelle Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Come back to our blog to leave a comment and have a conversation with us! http://allearsenglish.com/289 Today let’s talk about how to sound more natural in English when you use the phrase “by the way.” Michelle and Lindsay will show you some great examples of how to use this phrase. This phrase is useful to do two things: * Bring up a random, unexpected topic * To continue with the same topic, to add an idea linked to a previous idea Listen to the episode for a few great examples of how to use “by the way” in English conversations with Lindsay and Michelle. How have you used “by the way” in the past? Let us know in the comments! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Come back to http://allearsenglish.com/288 Do you ever get confused about whether or not you should tip in an American restaurant? Do you wonder how much to leave? When to leave it? Today you’ll get insider information from Michelle, who used to be a waitress at an American restaurant. In the United States you MUST tip in a restaurant. Servers only make a few dollars per hour. They rely on your tips. How much should you tip? You should tip 18-20%. However, you do have a choice when it comes to leaving a tip. If you have bad service then you can tip less. If the waitress is slow or has a bad attitude then you don’t have to leave a lot of money as a tip. It’s up to you. When should you leave the tip? If you pay with a credit card they take your card and come back with a receipt and the receipt has a place to write in the tip and the total and then you need to sign the receipt before you leave. If you are paying in cash it’s ok to leave the cash on the table but put it under a cup or a plate. What if you are with a large party? (A group of 6 or more people): In this case gratuity (tip) is usually included. It’s added into the bill before you get the bill. Make sure you ask if you don’t know if it has already been included. In other episodes we will talk about tipping in a bar, a cafe, the hair salon, a taxi, etc. What is your opinion when it comes to leaving tips in the US? Have you ever made a mistake with this? Do you have any additional questions? Please ask us in the comments below. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Come back to http://www.allearsenglish.com/287 Do you ever get into trouble during English phone conversations? This is one of the biggest challenge for English students, especially at work. Today we will show you how to get out of trouble if you aren’t understanding someone on the phone. We’ll give you 8 things to do before or during the call to get the help you need. How to Rescue Your Phone Call: * Practice to listening to natives as much as possible in your daily life (podcasts, sitcoms, the news on TV) * Ask the person to help you: * “I’m sorry. I’m having trouble understanding you. Would you (be able to ) say that again?” * “Could you repeat that (for me) please?” * “Would you mind slowing down a bit? It’s hard to hear you.” * Ask the person to follow up with a summary of the conversation by email * See if it’s ok to record the conversation * Breathe deeply before you get on the call with a native speaker It’s important not to be ashamed if you can’t understand someone in English on the phone. Don’t pretend to understand when you don’t. Use one of our strategies above to save your English conversations on the phone. What other tactics have you tried to rescue your English conversations? Share them with us in the comments! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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Come back to http://www.allearsenglish.com/286 Are you going abroad sometime soon? Have you set an intention for your time abroad? In today’s episode Lindsay talks with Norman Viss, an expat coach who helps his clients make the most of their time abroad by setting intentions. How can setting intentions make your life abroad more fulfilling? * Think about what kind of expat you are and decide how that will shape your expat life: * Are you a foreign assignee? Has your company moved you abroad to work? * Are you an international student or former international student? * Are you a “love-pat”? (someone who has gone abroad because they have met a partner, are you a traveling spouse? * Are you a “greener pastures expat”? This is someone who has gone abroad to find a better place to live including retirees. * Set goals and don’t just “go with the flow” * Do you want to learn a language? Be realistic about what will be possible based on the amount of time that you will be abroad. * Be intentional about what kinds of friendships you want while you are abroad. * What are your areas of interest? Do you like desserts? Sports? Do you like history? What kind of focus will you have during your time abroad? Will you create a theme for your life abroad? * What about your work? What professional goals do you want to accomplish while you are abroad? * Consider how your life will look after your time abroad: * What do you want your life to look like after you return from abroad? * What about retirement? If you are going abroad in your 40’s or 50’s then it’s a good idea to think about the future after your time abroad. The key to a happy life abroad is being intentional! Let us know in the comments below if you have been intentional in your life abroad and how it has affected your experience abroad. Norman Viss put down roots in Nigeria (10 years) and the Netherlands (22 years). He has worked for mission organizations, churches and in the public sector for the City of Amsterdam. He holds B.A. and Master’s degrees, with majors in cross-cultural and urban studies and theology; he is also an ICF- credentialed coach. Currently he runs an online business coaching expats around the world (Expat Everyday Support Center) and serves part-time as a clergyman in the Philadelphia area in the USA. Norman is a thankful husband, father and grandfather. Visit Norman’s coaching website at expateverydaysupportcenter.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today get some strategies for how to cultivate more gratitude in your life in English! Today’s quote: “When I started counting my blessings, my whole life turned around.” - Willie Nelson Vocabulary from the quote: * To count your blessings: To pay attention to the good things in your life * My whole life turned around: My whole life got better, changed direction How can you cultivate more gratitude in your life? * Keep a gratitude journal every day, write down your “blessings” and what you are grateful for * Focus on the good things that you have in your life, not the bad things * Set an alarm on your phone. When the alarm goes off you can think about what you are grateful in that moment. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Come back to allearsenglish.com/284 to tell us your knock-knock joke in English. Knock-kock jokes are super common in American culture. Today you’ll find out how to tell a joke like this and make people laugh to build great connections with English speakers in your life. These kinds of jokes are often told by kids. They are fun, innocent and clever. They are a play on words. Joke #1: “knock knock” “Who’s there?” “Canoe” “Canoe who?” Can-oe (can you) help me me with my homework?” Joke #2: “Knock knock” “Who’s there?” “Orange” “Orange who?” “Orange-ya (aren’t you) gonna let me in?” Joke #3: “Knock knock” “Who’s there?” “Harry” “Harry who?” “Harry up (hurry up) it’s cold out here” What knock-knock jokes do you know in English? Tell us your joke in the comment section below! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Leave a comment and have a conversation with us! Come back to http://www.allearsenglish.com/283 How can you quickly change the subject in English and get out of trouble when someone seems uncomfortable? It’s important to know how to do this if you want to be able to make great connections with people. How do we know when someone’s uncomfortable in American culture? * Their shoulders tense up * They don’t make eye contact * Their tone of voice changes * They hesitate * They use “um,” “ya know” and other filler words Today let’s find out how to save the interaction when you have brought up a topic that makes someone uncomfortable? What questions can you ask to change the topic? * “So how’s work going?” (ask about the person’s job or work projects) * “How are your parents doing?” (ask about the person’s family) * “It’s freezing today, isn’t it?” (or another weather comment) * “Do you have any vacations coming up?’ * “Have you seen any good movies lately?” What questions do you use in your culture to change the topic if someone is uncomfortable? Share your ideas in the comments below! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Come back to www.allearsenglish.com/282 Do you have difficulty jumping into conversations in English? Today, learn 6 phrases to help you enter into conversations with confidence! Entering into a conversation with native English speakers can be difficult. They often speak fast and might not seem to offer you a chance to speak. Instead, they will expect that you are going to jump in and speak if you have something to say. This means that you need to show confidence if you want to get into a conversation. You need to be able to assert yourself and use the phrases that signal to them that you have something to say. Here are six phrases to help you do that: “I see what you mean.”: This shows that you agree with the other speaker. It also gives you the opportunity to follow it up with something extra that comes from you. You could also say, “Yeah, I totally agree.” “Actually, I think…”: If you want to disagree, this is a polite way to do it. You don’t want to show too much disagreement if you’re trying to get into a conversation with a stranger, but polite disagreement might make for a deeper conversation. “Hey, I have an idea.”: As it suggests, this phrase would help you express a new thought. You could also say: “What about this?” “Me too!”: This can help show commonality and is a good way to start telling a story. It’s also a very relaxed phrase that sounds natural to Americans. Do you find it intimidating to jump into conversations with English speakers? Tell us what you think in the comments section below! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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